During my graduate education, I attended a conference where various scholars presented academic papers on how humans discern truth. Most of the presenters were ministers with years of experience or academic theologians. One presenter, however, the son of one of the conference’s organizers, was a cardiac surgeon. He focused on a famous quote by Danish theologian and philosopher Sören Kierkegaard in his paper. “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” He reflected on becoming a doctor, followed by two extended residencies, one in cardiac medicine and the other in surgery. He spoke of the skills required to open a human chest, connect an artificial pump to temporarily circulate blood while suturing transplanted tissue to create portions of arteries that supply the heart, disconnect the pump, restart the heart, check for leaks, and repair the chest opening. He spoke of the wonder of seeing and touching a beating heart inside a living person. The thing I remember most about his paper, however, was his telling of how he had to learn the skills of focus when he was going through his residencies. “To become a heart surgeon, I had to think about one thing and one thing only: heart surgery.” He had to teach himself to stop thinking about finances, food, family, and other vital parts of his life and to think of surgery only. Purity of heart for him came from focus.

I thought at the time, and I still believe, that I could never have become a cardiac surgeon. I am grateful that such people exist. A cardiac surgeon likely extended my life. He made an incision in my groin, inserted a needle in an artery followed by a catheter, proceeded to direct that catheter through my body to my heart, caused wires within the catheter to deliver radio frequency energy to specific nerve endings inside of my heart, then removed the catheter and repaired the wall of the artery in my groin. It is pretty technical stuff, and it worked. My heart has kept a regular rhythm since the procedure was completed.

I, however, lack the focus to perform such a task. I lack the focus required to learn how to do such a job. I am not a specialist. I am a generalist. I am the product of a liberal arts education and a graduate degree in Christian ministry. To do my job, one must be able to think of many things simultaneously. I had to plan and lead worship, provide counseling and care to individuals with confidentiality, manage budgets, supervise staff, plan mission opportunities, facilitate committees, teach classes, and chaperone youth events, with a reasonable amount of moving furniture, cleaning, and light repair on the side. For several years, I had a small note on my desk that reminded me, “The interruption is my job.”

Some of the things I learned in college classes served me well in my work. In an introduction to psychology class, which was the class in which I received the lowest grade of my undergraduate education, I learned about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s theory posits that individuals’ needs must be met at basic levels before achieving their full potential. At the base of his hierarchy are physiological needs. People must have sufficient food, water, shelter, clean air, and rest. Once those needs are met, people need security and safety. If all those needs are met, they need love and belonging from friends and intimate relationships. They can develop self-esteem and reach their potential only after meeting those needs. Understanding Maslow’s hierarchy helped me deal with individuals. I would check in with the basics: “Are you drinking enough water? Are you hungry? How are you sleeping?” At first, it surprised me how people who are grieving, for example, have unmet basic needs. Helping them meet those needs is part of assisting them in healing. As one whose job was to form community and practice love within the church, I often focused my attention on meeting basic needs and then on ensuring we were providing a safe space for people. Each level of the hierarchy became important.

First, ensure that people have food, clothing, and shelter. Then, ensure that they have safe spaces. Finally, help them form communities and caring relationships. Only after all of those things are done can teaching and learning occur. Whether or not they have studied Maslow, every elementary school teacher knows that hungry children can’t learn, children who don’t have safe places cannot learn, and children who have no friendships cannot learn.

Another basic from my college years that I have used throughout my life came from an introduction to sociology class. In “Invitation to Sociology,” Peter Berger outlines four tasks for sociologists: be skeptical, listen/observe, practice humanity, and nurture empathy. Those tasks can be applied to a lot of different pursuits in life. I’m no sociologist. That was the only class in the subject I took. However, skepticism, listening, humanity, and empathy are critical skills for working with people.

I don’t know if many college students study Maslow or Berger these days. I suspect that not many do. The high cost of education has forced them to focus on skills that can quickly translate into producing income. I have met some brilliant technicians and a few medical doctors who lack the relationship skills required for success. At this particular moment, our government is dominated by authoritarians and oligarchs who lack basic humanity and seem incapable of empathy.

As we advance, we would do well to teach the next generation those basic concepts. In our complex economy, very few jobs can be done by one person alone. To succeed, one must have skills for forming teams, working with others, and collaborating. Part of the intense political polarization at all levels in our country is a high degree of selfishness that prevents leaders and followers from developing supportive communities and empathy for others. When we fail at forming community, we fail to provide the basics for people to realize their full potential. And that is more than a personal tragedy. It inhibits our ability to realize the full potential of our communities and our country.